CHAPTER XIII. 

 The Boy's Hens. 



We moved to town one Winter and were able to hire a small henhouse. 

 We had sold the best pullets on the farm, and had left only a mixed lot 

 of old hens and young roosters. We took about 20 of these birds to town, 

 killing and eating them from time to time. Early in February there were 

 only three hens left, and the little boy begged for them, so that he might 

 try "the chicken business." His best argument was that the table scraps 

 would nearly feed the hens, thus turning what we would not eat into what 

 we would be glad to have. I thought he would soon tire of it, but to my 

 surprise he became interested, and gave his hens good care. By mixing a 

 small amount of wheat bran with the scraps he kept the hens laying and 

 in good condition. When I saw that he had become interested enough to 

 work for the hens I knew that he had caught the chicken fever. An indus- 

 trious hen may lead a lazy boy into habits of hustle. I told the boy that if 

 he could make his three hens lay 13 eggs in a week, I would start him with 

 a larger flock. The next week they laid 15 eggs. Of course the boy, like 

 most beginners with poultry, felt sure that if he could make three hens 

 lay well, there is no good reason why he could not do as well with .30, 300 

 or 3,000. It takes a large unpaid grain bill to cure one of that idea. 



BUYING HENS.— We went to New York for new hens. Those left 

 on the farm were poor specimens, and the boy wanted to try different 

 breeds. I have bought live poultry in New York many times. One year 

 I bought 150 hens and pullets, and imported roup, lice and various other 

 troubles. Eggs from those New York hens cost me eight cents apiece 

 through January and February, but they laid fairly well in the Summerj 

 and just about paid for their feed and original cost. I conclude that hens 

 usually sent to the live market are just about such culls as we had at the 

 farm. It stands to reason that no one will knowingly sell a good laying 

 hen for meat any more than they would sell a good Jersey cow for beef. 

 We found one place where a number of good hens had been sold to close 

 out an estate, and the dealer, who knew a good hen, had sorted out the 

 best to sell as layers. Crowded into his coops and fed nothing but corn, 

 they were laying eggs enough to pay for their food twice over. After 

 much debate the boy bought three Brown Leghorns, three White Wyan- 

 dottes, one White Leghorn and one Light Brahma. As it turned out he 

 would have done better if he had bought all Brown Leghorns, but he 

 wanted to test the different breeds. You may read about such things, but 

 it is better to learn from your own experience 1 



